Performance Choices

Aram Tony and I chose Lines 35 - 50, act 1 scene , when Horatio, Barnardo, and Marcellus see the ghost. We chose this passage because it shows a great change in attitudes. Before they actually saw the ghost Horatio was acting arrogant and confident but when they actually see the ghost Horatio can't even talk he is so scared. Barnardo is some what getting on him for not believing and Marcellus is just as scared as the other two. This passage shows a quick and drastic change in feelings being demonstrated by their language.

Pg. 832 #9 Pg. 833 #7

9. In his first soliloquy Hamlet does a good job describing his emotions through vivid imagery. He talks about how he wishes he could just melt away because he cant take his life anymore. Hamlet is so full of emotion he tends to go in many directions at once completing an idea before moving on to the next.  Hamlet keeps going back and forth about what he wants to do but really has no idea what he is going to do. We can see that he feels trapped in a bad situation and wants to break free and be without worries. He will later realize that Claudius is the base of his sadness and just wishes his dad could still be there and everything could be good.

7. Honesty and deception create conflicts between characters, mindsets and motives. Claudius demonstrates dishonesty and deception bringing up the theme of Perception Vs. Reality. To everyone else the king seems nice fair and but Hamlet knows the truth of how he got his power and his true intentions. People perceive Claudius as the king but in reality Hamlet should be the king which is part of his internal frustration. 

Discussion Questions 7 & 14

7. Hamlet tells his friends he will act mad so they do not worry about him and trust that he knows what he’s doing. If he says he is going to be crazy then it is obviously deliberate. He wants his friends to still be loyal to him but if he acts crazy people will start dismissing him for that fact; they will say “ Oh, he’s just crazy don’t mind him” in response to any behavior or actions that might seem bizarre to them. This way he has more freedom to do as he pleases and can get away with things a sane person could never.

14. The quote “”Why, then, ‘tis none to you; for there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.” Proves Hamlets sanity because an insane person would never be able to show such insight on a subject like this. His insanity proves how smart he really is, tricking everyone into getting what he wants and needs to revenge his father’s death. The second quote “I am but mad north-north-west; when the wind is southerly I know a hawk from a handsaw” suggests that he is only insane when the situation calls for it, but he still understands how to play everyone around him and realizes what he’s doing even if no one else does. 

Discussion Question 4

Both Polonius and Laertes are against Ophelia being with Hamlet because he is not a good man for her because he doesn’t make his own decisions and is unpredictable. As any brother and father would be with their sister or daughter they want to make sure which ever guy she is with is the right one and will criticize all his faults. Polonius argues that he may have to do whatever is best for his country meaning she will not come first but his country. He wants her to be with a man that will but her before most things and can make her happy. Laertes and Polonius each speak to Ophelia in a way that seems like they expect her to do what they tell her; furthermore, in their heads they think that it is just normal for her to be one hundred percent obedient to the male figures in her family. They want her to marry someone of high stature; however, because of Hamlets situation they think he won’t have enough time for her.

Similarities Bbetween Hamlet and Claudious Fuel Their Hatred

The bad qualities that one finds in other people are often the same as those that he possesses himself.  Hamlet and Claudious both have insecurities about certain issues causing them to clash. Although the insecurities are over different issues they still lead to the power struggle that goes on between the two.  Claudious’ insecurities derive from his feeling of unworthiness because he knows keep down that he was not mean to be the true king while Hamlet’s comes from the shock of his father’s death and the quick changes that occurred around him. We are able to understand and analyze the intentions, thoughts and attitudes about the presented issues through each characters speech patters and how they express themselves. Claudious uses deceptive word choice and chooses to impose his power even when it is not necessary while Hamlet asks too many trivial questions and is always worrying about something. 

The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock

The line "I have seen the moment of my greatness flicker, And I have seen the eternal Footman hold my coat, and snicker" relates back to Coy Mistress and time. Prufrock has seen his peak come and go and now feels like there's nothing left. The "Footman" relates back to the chariot that is coming in Coy Mistress because they both represent death and the end their journeys. The relation to time connects to the second stanza in the coy mistress where he discusses how time will pass us bye and we will miss out on the best parts. Well in this case Prufrock has already experienced the best; therefore, he has nothing left to look forward to and has nothing left to live for. However, the word "flicker" suggests that he did not quite reach his peak for whatever reason but comes back to the warning made in the Coy Mistress about losing the opportunity and happiness because of fear or worry.

Mini Essay "To His Coy Mistress"

Andrew Marvell’s “To His Coy Mistress” might seem like a sentimental poem; however, when we look closer it becomes evident that it’s simply a selfish guy trying to score a girl.  The narrator hides his true purpose in the first two stanzas then in the final stanza he concludes by revealing his intentions, but not with out using specific word choice to sound better. In the first stanza the narrator compliments how beautiful the mistress is and says he would devote thousands of years to just admiring her. While this seems nice it is just a ploy to make her like him. The first line says “Had we buy world enough, and time” meaning if they had enough time he could do all these things he is about to say. Nevertheless, this line also means he doesn’t have to do any of the things because he said at the beginning they don’t have the time for any of it so she should just ignored it, but if she is like most girls, she will certainly fall into his trap. He is all talk; he can say whatever he wants but it doesn’t count unless he actually does what he says. After being so nice he continues by tell her she’s going to get old and die. To me that sounds harsh but I guess his use of kind words hides it. He also tells her everything she is saving, like her virginity, will be to waste, again a bit harsh, but this is what he wants. It seems like he is trying to scare her into being with him. He is the classic guy; he will stop at nothing to get the girl he wants. Moreover, he continues his quest for this mistress by finishing his persuasion with combinations of violent and loving words in order to get her to want him yet make it seem like she loves him. His true intentions are revealed in the line “Now let us sport us while we may”. She is like a sports games he’s trying to win and once he has won he can forget about it. He said it himself it’s a “sport” to him proving he just wants the girl and doesn’t feel any love just desire. 

To His Coy Mistress

The line "Now, therefore, while the youthful hue" is important in its context because it starts the reason for his poem. Each of the three stanzas has its own focus and issue and the last is his logical conclusion. In order to to fully understand its important we must look at the first parts. The first stanza talks about all the things they could do together and all the time he could take to admire her beauty if they had all the time in the world. His second stanza goes on to say that although this would be idea, they don't have time. And soon they will grow old and lose out on the opportunity. "Now, therefore, while the youthful hue", he goes on to say that they need to seize the day and take advantage of the time they have. He goes on to say they need to act like "birds of prey". This therefore statement leads to his purpose for the letter to his mistress and is the turning point that is supposed to catch her and make her see she should do.